Nearly All Retirees Who Did This Report Retiring Comfortably

Saving enough for retirement has always been a tall order, and it’s only grown more difficult as life expectancies and living expenses have increased. You’re not alone if you’re worried that you might not be able to save enough to cover all your retirement costs.

Many people rely on Social Security as a fallback, but recent research from The Motley Fool suggests that a different strategy may lead to greater financial security in retirement.

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Diversifying your retirement income sources will increase your security

Social Security will be there for you in retirement, but with its trust funds just a few years from depletion, it’s not yet clear what role it will play for today’s workers. It’s unlikely to be enough to cover all or even most of your expenses. It was only intended to replace about 40% of pre-retirement income for average workers, so you’ll need more than your benefits alone to remain secure in retirement.

Diversifying your retirement income sources is one of the most important moves you can make to ensure your future financial security. A Gallup survey found that just 60% of retirees who lived primarily on earnings from Social Security were able to retire comfortably. That stat jumped to 78% for those who had one additional income source.

But the group that reported nearly everyone retiring comfortably was the one with one or two major sources of retirement income outside of Social Security. This could be a retirement account. But it might also be a pension or a retirement job.

How to start diversifying your retirement income

Think about which sources of retirement income are likely to be available to you outside of Social Security. If you’re saving some money in an IRA or 401(k), keep making contributions as consistently as you’re able to. And claim as much of your 401(k) match as possible each year, if you’re eligible for one.

If you qualify for a pension, you’re probably already aware of this. Your employer should be able to provide you with an idea of how much that pension will give you in retirement. You can then work out how much of your expenses you’ll have to cover another way.

As for a retirement job, it’s not for everyone. Some people enjoy having a part-time job because it gives them a sense of purpose and an opportunity to socialize. Others do it purely because they can’t afford to retire outright. Neither option is wrong.

If you have enough money from other sources, you might be able to go without a job. But it doesn’t hurt to at least weigh the possibility. If you think a retirement job could work for you, that could take a lot of the pressure off you financially.